Cool Days ~ Hot Nights
One can tell when the ”cool season” arrives in SE
Asia as the natives suddenly appear to dress appropriately
more for the Iditarod snow sled races than downtown
PP! Massive parkas, two sets of jeans, balaclavas,
and mittens were common sights last week on the street
as the mercury plunged to the mid twenties. The Christmas
music has started, a multitude of new bars have opened
sporting Xmas lights and a general feeling of conviviality
permeates the air. Or perhaps that was just the dozen
drinks or so I had from mates returning for their
annual pilgrimage to Paradise . Regardless, it is
a great time to be in Phnom Penh , skies have cleared,
the air is cool and the nights are getting hotter
day-by-day.
First, the big news is that the Heart of Darkness
has reopened after being closed for several months
to undergo complete renovation. And it's great, with
an expanded dance floor, new DJ booth and improved
security with a separate entrance and exit. The #1
dance club in town has regained its position on the
first night of reopening, and will continue to set
the standard with DJ Brett Angel hosting Saturday
night's hottest party each week.
Clubs such as Butterfly Bar, that had taken advantage
of the Heart closure have taken a massive hit in
attendance, but hopefully will have the smarts to
hang in there and provide some alternative action
on the dance scene. The RSB bar on the river has
been the latest to get a serious knock, after police
raided the short lived “GoGo” format and shut it
down. This is at least their 3 rd attempt to do something
with the dance scene on the River and all attempts
have failed.
One new promising spot is the Gold Star Bar/Restaurant/Disco
on Street 136 up a couple of blocks from the river.
It is a fine looking operation with lots of friendly
ladies and worth checking out. Keep an eye out for
happenings and developments here (and other places)
by checking our sister publication http://www.cambodianonline.net for
frequent updates.
Alley Cat Bar/Restaurant/Guesthouse is one of the
many new places this month. Well operated by Mark
and Chef Dallas from Sihanoukville (Dusk ‘til Dawn)
this new venue is proving popular already with local
expats. Good Western and Mexican food, cold (cheap
75 Cent) beers and lots of local info. On Street
19 near the corner of Street 178.
Gasolina is a bit hard to find on Street 57 south
of Street 370 but offers a nice large garden setting
including a large mirrored wall where the guys teach
and practice dance with a Latino flavour. No ladies
here.
Zeppelin Café and Rock Bar features 1000's
of Vinyl records from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80's.
If you are a hard rock enthusiast, then you are sure
to find some music treasures here. It's on Street
136 next to the Asia Hotel.
The 104 Street area continues to grow and develop
into an all night area. The latest addition is Darlin'
Bar opposite the Zanzibar . It's new, but the staff
seems friendly enough, at least so far, so we'll
watch and see what develops.
Hopefully it will develop as well as One
Zero Four Bar , owned by Martin and Barry.
When they first opened a few months back, it was
the typical nondescript one shop house bar. But
Barry is an old hand here in the bar biz having
opened and operated DV8 for
several years and knows what his customers want
because he actually listens to them. (He'll drink
a few with you too!) So they created a simple,
clean atmosphere, put the music at a level that
one can have a conversation, then sought out his
secret weapon. The girls! Now girls will come and
girls will go, as that is the nature of the beast,
but at this point he has some of the finest gals
in town - well most nights anyway. His staff are
described as “playful” and it is an apt description,
and although there are now probably 100+ girls
around the dozen or so bars in this area, these
are not the Prima Donnas of some of the more established
places, nor the Lady Drink seeking harpies that
populate most venues. They are, in most cases,
at most times, just FUN! Now while many of you
young fellows may be more focused on your goals,
we old dogs often just like to go have some fun
- without being hassled, hustled or harangued.
One night, not long ago, I was sharing a few swallows
with Barry whilst being given great attention by
a particularly “playful” lass. Now Barry has a Friday
night special at this bar whereby he pours you a
triple for the price of a single, but sometimes he
forgets what day of the week it is, so one must always
pay close attention to his barmanship as many of
his weeks have multiple Fridays. So it was a couple
of hours before it donned on me that this very attentive
young lady had not even spoken the words lady drink,
let alone tried to induce me to purchase same, although
we all realize that this is their prime source of
income. Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa and I quickly righted
the situation and supplicated the Gods of Pleasure.
So you all know where to find me most Friday nights ……….
Now how many Fridays are there next week?
Back up on the 51 Street Strip, things are churning
away well. Howie's is smiling again since the reopening
of the Heart, and Liam and Richard keep Soho2 active
with homemade English Pub Grub and gals in nurses
uniforms. Darren has redone Casey's Bar and put in
a good pool table and a smaller bar area …….. good
job.
Up the street, Shanghai Bar has gone through another
manager and Paul, the owner, is actively seeking
a new experienced Chef/Manager. If you are interested
contact me and
I'll pass it on to him. On the other Corner, the
51Bar has a new owner in the person of a young Kiwi
named Justin. While new at the business, he is a
very personable, affable fellow who will make a fine
publican if he can survive the first year of 16 hour
days. He is starting to get a few good staff and
learning the ropes quickly. I urge all the readers
to support his efforts, as I do, by dropping by and
buying a pint. This town needs good new fresh operators
and I wish him the best of luck.
Heads up for all Bamboozler readers ……… Saigon Border
Bar just down from Walkabout on 174 Street has been
sold and will be gutted to reopen next month …. Stay
tuned for the exclusive opening news! And two more
new places will open by month end as well … keep
checking http://cambodianbars.com for
the latest updates.
On the guesthouse scene, I already reported the
opening of a fine new spot, Round the Corner II at
63 and 178 streets owned by my mate Andy, who is
currently working in Afghanistan . He's back next
week for a Christmas break and I'll get the latest
happenings and some specials for the readers as well.
The latest recommended guesthouse is Red Rooster,
owned by John, on Street 200 between 51 Street and
Norodom. Great rooms, food and drink and a breathtaking
sunrise view of the Royal Palace from the Rooftop
Balcony. To reserve call 023 992 201 and tell them
the Bamboozler sent you.
If you want to find these places and any other place
in Phnom Penh (or Siem Reap) make sure you get a
copy of the Cambodia Pocket Guide, available almost
everywhere, or online at http://cambodiapocketguide.com
So with at least 10 new venues this month alone
and many more to come … what's happening with the
older established places? Well some of them are seriously
feeling the heat as they no longer can pay for the
air conditioner. Closures? Most likely not, as there
appears to be an endless stream of cash-rich ‘entrepreneurs'
who despite apparent shortcomings such as experience,
knowledge or local expertise, seem determined to
prove to one and all how ‘easy' it is to own a bar
in a third world country. And so it is…well, ok,
the ‘own' part is easy! It's the operate bit that
gets tricky and successful part that is nearly impossible.
I think Pattaya was built this way ... and it's still
growing as will the scene here.
Walkabout continues to go along, despite having
slipped badly in most people's opinion in the past
year, and Martini's has backed off somewhat as well,
hurt by location and competition, but has brought
in heavyweights like DJ Brett Angel to host Friday
nights disco and pack them in. Sharkey Bar continues
to do well, bolstered by excellent food (they actually
have the best hamburger in town because they grind
their own Aust/NZ beef), run great promotions and
have the best management team in the business. Let's
hope the rest of them wise up sometime soon and see
the advantages of having professional western management.
Another year is ending so, for those that do it … Merry
Christmas!
And may we all have a Prosperous New Year.
Until next time ……….. the Bamboozler in Phnom Penh
.
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